


A Sweet Treat

by FandomTrash24601



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Background pre-relationship Bones/Uhura, Fluff, Gen, Halloween, Jim's a good bro, Meeting Idols, Trick or Treating, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 15:17:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16477988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomTrash24601/pseuds/FandomTrash24601
Summary: Joanna McCoy has an excellent Halloween.





	A Sweet Treat

When Jim had hijacked Bones’ PADD and secretly sent a message to Bones’ ex-wife to ask if he- ‘he’ being Bones- could swing a visit with Joanna while they were on Earth for shore leave, Jim hadn’t really expected a yes. He had expected a yes that included not one day, but four, even less. Apparently, Jocelyn had a very important case she was working on, and would be gone for four days to work on it. She had been considering her parents, but over time her hatred for Bones had lessened, and she graciously allowed him the temporary custody of their child instead. What made it all even better, in Jim’s opinion, was that one of the days they’d have custody of Joanna was Halloween.

Bones had just about blown his lid when he discovered that Jim had been secretly collaborating with Jocelyn behind his back. By the time they had arrived on Earth, however, and were in a shuttle car from Atlanta to Jocelyn’s house, Bones had mellowed up enough to thank Jim. Still a little hesitant of his ex-wife’s attitude, Bones had brought Jim along.

“You're better with kids anyways,” Bones had said a little awkwardly, as if excusing his decision to bring Jim. “Maybe you could help me out.”

Jocelyn’s job paid very well, Jim noted as they pulled into the driveway. The house was large but not gaudy, with a manicured lawn and a small but well-kept flower garden below a bay window that probably belonged to the living room. Jim wondered if the neighborhood had an HOA.

Bones stalled about halfway up the concrete stairs from the driveway, and Jim pressed his hand against the small of Bones’ back to propel his anxious friend forward. Bones gave Jim a small, halfhearted glare before continuing to walk on his own.

Jim was a little surprised by Jocelyn’s appearance. He had expected a petite, blonde, stereotypical Southern belle. Instead he found himself looking at a tall, Slavic-looking woman with a stern but not unkind face and brown eyes that were sharp with knowledge.

“Leonard,” Jocelyn said. Her tone wasn't hostile in the slightest, Jim noted thankfully, but it wasn't particularly warm.

“Jocelyn,” Leonard said. He looked about as uncomfortable as he did during diplomatic conferences when he would oftentimes end up cornered by a flirty medical professional, but despite his discomfort he didn't seem afraid.

“Do come in,” Jocelyn said, stepping aside to let them both enter.

“James Kirk,” Jim said, holding out a hand. “So, it wasn't actually Bones- uh, Leonard- who contacted you, but me. He is, however, very happy to see Joanna.”

“Well, James,” Jocelyn said, sounding a little amused, “I’m glad you did so. Joanna is with her grandparents right now, but she'll be home soon. Hopefully I'll be done packing by then so I can spend some time with her before I have to leave.

“You're both more than welcome to stay here; I’m sure that neither of you have homes nearby, considering that Starfleet operates out of San Francisco, and there'll be no trouble getting Joanna to school from here.”

“That's mighty kind of you, Jocelyn,” Bones said. He looked far more relaxed, as if he'd finally realized that Jocelyn wasn't going to bite his head off.

“I’ve left a rough schedule on the kitchen table; the time to wake her up on school days, the time she's allowed to sleep in until on weekends, what time dinner tends to be, when to feed the cat, etc.”

“You have a cat?” Bones asked, eyebrows raised.

“I know,” Jocelyn said with a little laugh. “But Joanna begged and begged and begged, so I finally got her a cat as a birthday present when she turned ten. It's only been a few months, but that cat adores Joanna so much.”

Something brushed up against Jim’s legs and he looked down in surprise to see the biggest, fluffiest cat he'd ever seen. It was a tabby, with big green eyes and a long, swishy tail.

“Oh,” Jim said. “There it is.”

“Her name is Leia, after that princess from the old movie series Star Wars,” Jocelyn explained.

“Good taste,” Jim commented, leaning down to pet the increasingly cuddly cat.

“Make yourselves at home,” Jocelyn said, “I need to finish packing.”

She disappeared up the stairs, and Bones and Jim were left with Leia the cat. Leia mowed rather aggressively and moved to rub herself up against Bones’ legs. Jim snorted when Bones looked down at the furry creature with an almost constipated look on his face.

“This is so weird,” Bones whispered. “I never would've imagined that Jocelyn would get a cat.”

“Dog person?” Jim asked. Leia let out a mrrrow and stretched up on her hind legs to reach as far up Bones’ legs as she could.

“Yeah.”

“Bones,” Jim said, laughing. “Just pet her.”

As if it was a torturous task, Bones bent down and scratched under her chin. Leia tilted her head up, eyes closing as she began to put very loudly. She almost sounded like a motorcycle engine, Jim realized with great humor. A smaller, far fluffier motorcycle engine. When Leia released them, Jim and Bones ventured into the kitchen to find the list that Jocelyn had left out for them. It was sufficiently detailed, but not overly so. Joanna had to wake up at 8am on school days because the bus came at 8:35, and had to be woken up by 10:30 on weekends. Leia was fed every day at about 8am and 8pm.

“This looks manageable,” Jim said. “Hey, do you think Jocelyn is upset at all that there's two of us and not just you?”

“No,” Bones replied. “I think she's probably happy you're here, considering my lack of knowledge of parenting.”

“I don't know much about parenting, either,” Jim said.

“Two fools are better than one.”

The doorbell chimed, and Bones’ head snapped up fast enough that Jim thought his friend would end up with whiplash. He swallowed hard and looked to Jim as if asking a silent question.

“Well go on,” Jim said, gesturing at the door. “I'm sure that's Joanna.”

It took Bones a moment to realize that if he wanted to get to the door, his feet needed to carry him, but he seemed rather composed by the time he actually made it to the door. Jim stood behind him and off to the side, knowing his presence wouldn't do any good. Bones seemed to hesitate before opening the door, hand hovering just over the handle, but it only lasted a moment before Bones gripped the handle and swung the door open.

“Oh,” came a politely shocked female voice. “Hello, Leonard.”

Before Bones could reply or the woman could say more, a high-pitched squeal sounded from outside, and suddenly a small form was inside the house, arms wrapped tightly around Bones’ torso. All Jim could see was sun-tanned arms and brown hair pulled back into a braid. He grinned but still said nothing, making sure he stayed hidden. Bones staggered a bit, but then hugged her back just as tight, kissing the top of her head.

“Hey, pumpkin,” he drawled. “How are ya?”

“I’m fine, daddy,” Joanna said, releasing Bones and settling for beaming up at him. She looked to be about ten years old, with brown eyes unlike Bones’ hazel ones.

“Leonard, where is Jocelyn?” a man who Jim assumed was Jocelyn’s father inquired. He was polite, but clearly unhappy about something, most likely the fact that Joanna would be staying with Leonard and not him and his wife.

“She’s upstairs, finishing her packing,” Leonard said. Jim was a little surprised to hear the tone of Bones’ voice, nearly identical to the tone Bones used during tense negotiations on those few occasions when he was required to speak during one. Jim had expected that tone to be used on Jocelyn, if anyone. He hadn’t expected Jocelyn’s parents to earn that tone.

“Oh,” Jocelyn’s mother said, clearly unhappy. “Well, then. We’ll leave her to pack. Do tell her we were here, Leonard.”

“Of course,” Leonard said, his tone far warmer than it had been just a moment previously. So it was only Jocelyn’s father, then, that freaked Bones out. Jim made a mental note of that, but wasn’t sure if he was going to ask about it later or not.

“Bye, Grammie! Bye, Grampie!” Joanna said, beaming and waving at the couple on the other side of the door.

“Bye, sweetheart!” Jocelyn’s mother said.

“Have a good day, ma’am, sir,” Bones said.

“Yes,” Jocelyn’s mother replied, “you too, Leonard.”

Jim imagined that Jocelyn’s father was standing outside, frowning deeply with his arms crossed because he just couldn’t contain his hatred for Bones. He then imagined Jocelyn’s father as looking rather like the old 21st century actor Danny DeVito did near the end of his life, and had to fight not to laugh.

When Bones shut the door, he turned towards Jim and blew out a long breath of air. Jim snorted out laughter, doubling over at the waist where he’d been leaning against the wall. When he straightened up, Joanna was clinging tightly to her father’s arm and looking at him Jim with wide eyes. Her mouth had even dropped open.

“You’re Captain Kirk,” she breathed.

“Yeah." Jim grinned. “I am. You were aware that your dad works for me, right?”

“No, I knew that,” Joanna said. “I just didn’t think you’d be here.”

“He’s my best friend, sweet-pea,” Bones said. “He’s also the one who contacted your mama and set this whole situation up.”

“Oh,” Joanna said. She smiled brightly at Jim and said, “Thank you!”

Footsteps on the stairs alerted everyone to Jocelyn’s presence. Jim offered to help her with the gargantuan suitcase she seemed to be struggling with, but she politely declined. When she made it to the bottom of the stairs, she pushed her suitcase to the side and then turned to Joanna with a large smile on her face.

“Hi, JoJo!” she exclaimed.

“Mama!” Joanna said happily, rushing into her mother’s arms. “Grammie and Grampie took me out to get ice cream while you were packing. It was so yummy.”

“Yeah?” Jocelyn smiled and pressed a kiss to Joanna’s forehead. “What did you get?”

“I got pumpkin ice cream. It was actually really good.”

“Have you ever had corn ice cream?” Jim asked.

“Corn?” Joanna wrinkled her nose. “Ew, no.”

“Jim,” Bones said, shaking his head as if Jim pained him. “Of all the flavors… corn?”

“Would you rather I tell you about the time I tried avocado ice cream?” Jim said, grin mischievous. “Or English breakfast tea ice cream with toffee chunks mixed in?”

“That second one doesn't sound too bad,” Jocelyn admitted.

“Avocado, Jim? Really?” Bones looked rather constipated, as if he was severely disappointed by Jim.

“Hey, avocado is good for you,” Jim challenged. “I thought you’d be glad.”

“Have you eaten ice cream grosser than avocado?” Joanna asked, eyes glittering with curious glee. Her repulsion had vanished, turned into excitement.

“I tried lobster ice cream once,” Jim said. “Is that gross enough?”

“Yes,” Joanna said intensely, smiling so wide that Jim imagined it must hurt. “Oh my gosh, that sounds _disgustin’.”_

“It was actually pretty good,” Jim said.

A small chime sounded from Jocelyn’s purse, set on top of the suitcase, and she reached into her purse to retrieve her PADD. She frowned at it, then placed it back into her purse with a sigh. She looked up at the three others in the house, clearly not happy.

“I thought I’d have time to spend with you,” she said to Joanna, “but I’ve just gotten a traffic alert, and if I don't leave now, I might miss my shuttle.”

“Aw,” Joanna said, frowning. “Okay.”

She squeezed her mother tight in a hug before stepping back, looking a little downcast as Jocelyn grabbed her bag and began to haul it towards the door. Bones stepped forward to pull the door open for her, and she gave him a small smile before she stepped through the door.

“Bye, mama!” Joanna called.

“Bye, sweetie!” Jocelyn said, smiling and waving. She turned and continued down the stairs, lugging the heavy suitcase behind her. Bones waited until she had hauled the suitcase into her car and pulled out of the driveway before he shut the door.

“Hey, daddy?” Joanna asked, tapping Bones’ arm.

“Yeah, pumpkin?”

“Are you gonna take me trick-or-treatin’ tomorrow?”

“Huh?”

Jim could see that Bones had forgotten that tomorrow was Halloween, and jumped in to give him a bit to process, saying, “Of course he will.”

Joanna turned and beamed at him, adorable dimples appearing in her cheeks. She bounced over to Jim and grabbed his forearm with a grip that was surprisingly strong for a kid.

“You can come, too!” she said. “Or you can stay and give out candy if you want.”

“I think I’d rather come along with the two of you,” Jim said, and grinned. “Make sure your dad doesn’t get into trouble, you know?”

Bones scoffed and then asked Joanna, “What’re you gonna be for Halloween, Joey?”

“I’m gonna be Lieutenant Uhura!” Joanna declared proudly, smiling up at Jim. He laughed and ruffled her hair, glancing up at Bones, who looked ridiculously besotted.

“Yeah? Do you got a costume, sweet-pea?”

“I do!” Joanna said. “Come look!”

She raced up the stairs, Jim and Bones following. Jim took the stairs three at a time, whereas Bones was in no rush, taking the stairs one at a time. Jim was led down a hallway and into a very purple room. The walls were lavender, the bed a light purple and white. There were white nightstands on both sides of the full-sized bed, and a closet on the wall opposite the bed that Joanna raced directly towards. Jim hovered in the doorway, smiling.

By the time Bones caught up to the two of them, Joanna was pulling a fairly realistic-looking red Starfleet uniform dress out of her closet. The dress was somewhat more modest than the actual Starfleet uniforms, of course, coming approximately to knee length instead of falling to the upper thigh. Jim smiled and looked over at Bones, who seemed to be somewhere between proud, doting, and horrified. Why the horror, Jim didn’t know. Perhaps Bones was imagining a future where Joanna went into Starfleet. Jim knew that the thought of his baby girl on a Starfleet spaceship would terrify Bones.

“It’s lovely,” Jim said, grinning.

“Very pretty, pumpkin,” Bones managed to say.

“So you’re dressing up as Nyota for Halloween,” Jim said. “Do you like her?”

“Yeah, she’s so awesome!” Joanna enthused. “I want to be just like her when I grow up. Languages are super cool, I already speak two, and I’m working on three and four!”

“What languages do you speak?” Jim inquired. He didn’t even have to look to know that Bones was fighting to keep a horrified look off of his face. If Joanna wanted to be just like Nyota, then she’d want to go into Starfleet.

“Standard and Vulcan,” Joanna said proudly. “I’m workin’ on Andorian and Romulan.”

“Romulan?” Jim heard Bones whisper, voice strained.

“If you’ll excuse me for just a minute, Joanna,” Jim said, “I have a very important call to make that I forgot to make earlier.”

“Okay!”

On his way out of the room, Jim winked at Bones. After years of friendship, Bones could tell what Jim was thinking just by the wink, and gave Jim a look that screamed, “I can’t believe you.”

When Jim made it downstairs, he grabbed his PADD from where it lay on the top of his clothes in his duffel bag. He fired off a quick message to Jocelyn, asking if they were allowed to invite someone over. Jim was just putting his PADD down when Jocelyn replied, saying that she trusted them enough not to invite anyone over who would endanger Joanna or trash the house. At the bottom of the message was a small ‘sent by computer,’ letting Jim know with great relief that Jocelyn had not been messaging while she drove. Sure, technology had improved massively since cell phones had been invented and texting while driving had become an issue, but no technology was infallible. Messaging while driving was still dangerous.

With Jocelyn’s approval, Jim messaged someone else.

_What have you done this time?_ Nyota asked.

_Wow, rude,_ Jim replied. _Nothing. I just have an offer for you._

_And what is this offer that you’re proposing to me during my long-needed and long-overdo shore leave?_

_So I’m in Georgia right now with Bones and an adorable little girl who just so happens to share half of Bones’ genetic material. She also just so happens to be dressing up as none other than her idol, the lovely and badass Lieutenant Uhura tomorrow night for Halloween._

_You’re joking._

_I’m not, although Bones wishes I were. How would you like to come down and go trick-or-treating with your number one fan?_

_Give me the address and I’ll be there by ten tonight._

When Jim got back to Joanna’s room, she was going on at length about Andorian grammar to Bones, who looked incredibly constipated when Joanna wasn’t looking at him. He glanced over at Jim, who nodded slightly to signify his success.

“As much as I'm interested, pumpkin,” Bones said when Joanna paused for breath, “I’ve gotta get dinner started.”

“Okay!” Joanna said, then enveloped Bones in a big hug. “I'm so glad you're here,” she told him, and Jim watched as Bones melted, scooping his daughter tight against him.

“I'm glad to be here, too, baby girl.”

Bones wasn't keen on spending too much time away from Joanna cooking dinner, so they ate frozen pizza instead. Joanna seemed very pleased to have Jim and Bones’ company. Leia could have cared less, chowing down on the food that Bones had just given her in the small dish beside the glass door that led out onto a back porch. Between bites, Jim made some conversation.

“So why is Lieutenant Uhura your idol?” Jim asked, then took a bite of the cheese pizza that Bones had popped in the oven.

“Because she's amazing,” Joanna gushed. “She knows so much, and she's so kick-butt, and she's the only girl in a whole group of guys!”

“What do you mean by that last bit?” Bones asked. “She ain't the only lady on the ship.”

“No, not on the ship, but the whole senior crew is like, the top team on board, and she's the only girl!”

“Huh,” Jim said. “I suppose she is.” He grinned and added, “She may be the only girl, but she’s the top dog, you know. She’s the one who keeps us all from doing stupid things.”

“Really?” Joanna asked, seeming beyond excited to be discussing her idol with two of her idol’s friends.

“I help out some, too,” Bones muttered into his slice.

“Yeah, but we all listen to Noyta more often than you,” Jim said.

Bones gave an offended huff and began to chew quite ominously. Joanna giggled, and when he looked over at her Jim watched him soften. It was quite amusing, to be honest. He could pretend to be as big of a jerk as he wanted, but his daughter was the best and easiest way to get him to show his squishy marshmallow core.

“Hey daddy?” Joanna asked.

“Yeah, sweet-pea?”

“What’s Lieutenant Uhura like?”

“Well,” Bones said, grinning. “Back at the Academy, Nyota rather hated Jim and me. Her hatred of me was entirely unjustified, though. She just hated me because I roomed with Jim, who was the one she really despised.”

“Why?” Joanna asked, seeming shocked and bewildered.

“I was a bit of an arrogant jerk at the Academy,” Jim admitted around his pizza. “Also, her first meeting with me wasn’t the best. I was wasted, hit on her, and then got into a fight.”

“Oh,” Joanna said. “That makes sense. But you’re friends now, right?”

“Yeah, kid,” Jim said, laughing. “Yeah, we’re friends. Her and Bones are friends, too. They have sleepovers and braid each other’s hair every Friday.”

“We do not,” Bones insisted, glaring at Jim.

There was the faintest traces of a blush creeping across his cheeks, and Jim fought the urge to squeal like Joanna might have when she got her cat. Jim had suspected that Bones had had a thing for Nyota for some time now, but the blush and scowl were a giveaway for embarrassment. Jim settled for grinning widely and taking another bite of his pizza.

“Daddy, Captain Kirk,” Joanna began, but Jim cut her off.

“Oh no, no ‘Captain Kirk.’ Just Jim.”

“Oh, okay then. Daddy, Jim, is Lieutenant Uhura really nice?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Bones said. “She’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. She’s one of the most courageous, too. I mean, she’s brilliant. There was one mission where the Universal Translator failed and Nyota, who had only been learning the language for about a day, was able to negotiate and get us out before the situation got hairy.”

“Wow,” Joanna breathed, eyes wide. “I wanna do that someday.”

Bones grimaced and replied with, “Yeah, someday.”

“I’ll make sure you get a position on my ship,” Jim said, winking conspiratorially at Joanna.

Joanna beamed at Jim, but then frowned and declared, “But then I’d be stealin’ Lieutenant Uhura’s job!”

“Mmm,” Jim said. “I suppose you would be, huh? Alright then, I’ll just have to put in a good word for you somewhere else. Maybe Johanneson’s ship, the _Curiosity.”_

Joanna beamed at him, and Jim couldn’t help but smile back. He could easily picture an older Joanna on board a starship, hand to her ear in the position Nyota always seemed to be in, her hair up in a bun or some other hairdo that wouldn’t obscure her ears. It was surprisingly easy, really, to imagine Joanna as a member of Starfleet.

“Hey, sweetheart, you gotta start gettin’ ready for bed,” Bones said regretfully.

Joanna pouted. Jim glanced at the clock, which was showing that it was near eight already. If Joanna was to be well asleep by ten, she’d have to start getting ready as soon as possible. Jim shared a look with Bones before turning to Joanna and smiling.

“Come on,” he bribed. “I’ll tell you more about Nyota tomorrow before school if you go up to bed now.”

“Kids your age should aim for eight or nine hours of sleep every night,” Bones said in a more doctorly tone. “If you go up now and are asleep by nine, you’ll get even more than that, and you’ll feel awesome tomorrow instead of tired and grumpy.”

Under their combined assault, Joanna sighed and said, “Okay, fine.”

She picked Leia up on her way out, who was winding her way around the legs of the dining chairs. With the large, furry animal clutched to her chest and a pout buried in its fur, Joanna looked quite adorable. She disappeared up the stairs to her room, and Jim heaved a quiet, relieved sigh.

“Do you think she’ll be out cold by ten?” Jim asked quietly as Joanna’s footsteps disappeared up the stairs.

“I don’t know,” Bones said. “I suppose we can just tell Nyota to be quiet when she arrives.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Jim said, and then, “Hey, did Jocelyn leave sleeping instructions? You know, like, ‘you can sleep in the guest room and on the couch but not the master,’ and such?”

“Why don’t you check?” Bones asked. “I’ll clear the table.”

While Bones was busy in the kitchen, Jim picked up the instructions and surveyed them closely. He found that they were welcome to use the guest room, but no other sleeping locations were mentioned, which made sense. She hadn’t been expecting multiple guests. Jim supposed that he would have to share a bed with Bones, which wasn’t an issue. Then Jim remembered Nyota, and frowned. Where could three people sleep? Jim glanced through the kitchen doorway to the living room, where the couch appeared to be fairly comfortable. He could sleep in there, let Nyota and Bones share the guest room. But then, would the two of them be comfortable with that? He supposed that they could all figure it out when Nyota arrived.

“So what does it say?” Bones asked.

“We’re welcome to use the guest room,” Jim said, “but she only expected you. There’s two extra people we have to fit. I could take the couch, if you and Nyota wanted to share the guest room. I mean, we can’t have Joanna coming downstairs and finding Nyota on the couch, she’ll be over the moon all day and won’t be able to concentrate.”

“Oh, damn, you’re right,” Bones said, frowning. “I mean, she’d probably rather share a bed with me than you.”

“I’m wounded,” Jim deadpanned.

“No you ain’t.”

“You’re right, I’m not.”

“We’ll sort it out when she gets here,” Bones said, stepping back. “She deserves some sort of input on this.”

“Well,” Jim said, “we’ve got a few hours until then. How about a movie?”

***

Just as the ninth Star Wars was ending- it had been the first one they’d found, and although it wasn’t one of Jim’s favorites it was good enough, because John Boyega was hot as hell- there was a knock at the door. Not even a peep had been heard from Joanna in over an hour, and both Jim and Bones were relatively certain that she was asleep. Bones, who had been drifting off for the past half hour, straightened up and almost bolted for the door. Jim resisted the urge to snicker.

“Hey, Ny!” Bones said quietly when he opened the door and let Nyota in. “How’re you doing?”

“I’m doing pretty good, now that I’m aware that I have a number one fan,” Noyta said, laughing. “How are you? Oh, hello, Jim.”

“I’m doing just fine,” Bones said.

“Hey, Nyota.” Jim grinned. “Glad I interrupted whatever you were doing?”

“Very.” Nyota yawned and rubbed at her eyes, her progress slightly impeded by the duffel bag hanging off of her shoulder. ‘Sorry, I’m pretty tired. Where can I sleep?”

“Yeah,” Jim said. “That’s a bit of an issue. You see, Jocelyn thought it would be just Bones, so she said we could sleep in the guest room, but the guest room doesn’t sleep three. I suggest that someone sleep on the couch, but it couldn’t be you because Joanna would see you tomorrow morning and flip out.”

“Ah,” Nyota said. “That is a problem, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Bones said a little awkwardly.

“I’ll share a bed with Leonard,” Nyota decided, and rather quickly, too. “You get the couch, Kirk.”

Jim sighed dramatically and said, “I had assumed so.”

“Okay, then,” Bones said, nodding. “Let’s get to bed.”

Jim dropped his bag by the couch and entered the small downstairs bathroom to brush his teeth and change. When he exited, he found Nyota sitting on the floor in the kitchen already in pajama shorts and a tank top. Leia was curled up on her lap looking as content as a cat possibly could.

“Look at this precious sweetheart,” Nyota cooed.

“She’s very demanding,” Jim said, squatting near Nyota and reaching out to scratch at Leia’s head. She began to purr, and Nyota suddenly winced.

“Jim,” she said. “Jim, no, she’s making biscuits no my bare leg.”

“She’s what?"

“Her claws,” Nyota said, “are in my leg. Please stop.”

“Oh,” Jim said, retracting his hand. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said, gently shooing Leia from her lap. The cat gave her an unhappy look and a ruffled meow before disappearing into the shadows of the house.

“Thanks for coming,” Jim said, helping Nyota to her feet. “I’m sure you’re going to make Joanna’s year.”

“It’ll be my pleasure,” Nyota said dismissively. “Thank you for inviting me.”

She yawned widely, the kind that makes people rock back on their heels and blink a few times afterwards. Jim laughed and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

“Get to bed,” he told her.

“You too,” she said, hugging him back and then stepping away.

“Goodnight, Nyota,” he said as she made it to the bottom of the stares.

“Goodnight, Jim.”

Jim turned back to the living room, scavenging all of the throw pillows from the couch to form a place where he could place his head. He then took a blanket from the back of a chair and settled down on the couch, which was surprisingly comfortable. Exhaustion began to tug at Jim, and it was only a few minutes before he was asleep

***

“Hey, Jim,” Bones whispered, shaking his shoulder. “Jim. Jim, wake up.”

“Mmmwha?” Jim slurred, shifting and rubbing at his eyes.

“It’s 7:50,” Bones said. “Figured I’d give you a few minutes to get presentable before Joanna gets downstairs. I’ve fed the cat already, too, but I have no clue where she is.”

“Thanks,” Jim croaked, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. He had slept well, but he still found himself wishing that he’d been able to sleep for longer.

“Not a problem.”

“So,” Jim said, giving Bones a mischievous grin, “how did you and Ny sleep last night?”

Bones scowled and muttered, “Just fine, you goddamn perv.”

“Just asking,” Jim said, putting his hands up defensively. “Now let me go get changed before Joanna makes it downstairs.”

Bones grumbled but stepped away to let Jim grab his bag and head for the bathroom. He changed into jeans and a t-shirt, because it may have been the last day of October but they were in Georgia, not Iowa. When he exited, looking far more presentable than when he entered, he was alone downstairs. He could hear movement upstairs, most likely Joanna puttering around in her room, so he headed to the kitchen.

There was a carton of eggs in the fridge, so he pulled them out and started prepping some scrambled eggs. Jocelyn had said in the note that Joanna was fond of them, and they certainly weren’t hard to make, considering Jim’s cooking expertise. Joanna came down the stairs just as the eggs were coming off of the stove, Bones following close behind her. There were only enough eggs for one on the plate, Bones and Jim planning on eating breakfast with Noyta once Joanna had left for the day.

“‘Mornin’, Jim,” she said, yawning and plopping into a seat at the table.

“Good morning, Joanna,” Jim said, setting the plate down in front of her. “You look chipper this morning!”

Joanna gave him a decidedly unhappy look and said, “I have a science test today.”

“You don’t like science?” Jim asked.

Joanna frowned and shook her head, then said, “No.”

“A shame,” Bones said, taking a seat next to her. “I love science.”

“Well yeah,” Joanna said, wrinkling her nose. “You’re a doctor.”

“He’s an amazing one, at that,” Jim informed her.

“Mhmm.” Joanna didn’t seem particularly interested in conversation, and Jim found himself amused by the fact that she very obviously wasn’t a morning person.

By 8:30, Joanna had finished her eggs, brushed her teeth, put on her shoes, and was putting on a jacket in preparation of going outside. Her backpack was fully packed and set by the door, and Jim and Bones were in the kitchen. Bones was starting some coffee, which he had been kind enough to forego for a whole forty-five minutes. Leia had also wandered into the kitchen from wherever she’d spent the night, and had spent a good five minutes winding herself around Jim’s legs and preventing him from moving.

Joanna came into the kitchen and gave Bones a big hug and Jim a smile and a wave before she went to the door and put on her backpack.

“Bye, baby girl,” Bones said, smiling.

“Bye, JoJo,” Jim said, waving.

“Bye, daddy! Bye, Jim!”

The door clicked shut behind her, and Jim crept to the door to peer outside. It hadn’t been more than five minutes before the bus arrived and Joanna climbed on. As soon as the bus had pulled away, Jim turned and hollered up the stairs.

“Nyota, you can come down now!”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Nyota said, coming down the stairs. “I’m starved.”

“Well it’s a good thing that I make killer omelettes, isn’t it?” Jim asked, heading back to the kitchen.

“Absolutely.”

“Mornin’, Nyota,” Bones said when they entered the kitchen. He held a coffee cup in one hand, and held out a mug to Nyota with the other. She accepted it with a smile, and Jim had to turn away from them, towards the fridge, to hide his own smile.

“I’m excited for Joanna to get home already,” Jim commented.

“Oh, me too,” Nyota said. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

***

After one of the slowest-moving days of Jim’s life, which ended with all three decorated Starfleet officers waiting by the windows for the bus to arrive, Joanna finally returned from school.

“Positions!” Jim shouted. Nyota rushed across the little foyer to stand where she wouldn’t be seen from outside through the windows but where she would be hidden behind the door when it was opened.

Joanna raced towards the house as soon as she got off of the bus, clearly excited. Jim opened the wooden door as she pulled the screen door open, and she skipped into the house, smiling.

“It’s Halloween!” she declared loudly, dropping her bag right next to the door.

“That it is, pumpkin!” Bones said, enveloping her in a hug. “Jim and I got you a little gift for Halloween, too.”

“Really?” Joanna asked, bouncing up and down.

Jim silently shut the main door and stepped aside. He winked at Nyota, who grinned back. Bones nodded at Joanna, grinning as well.

“Yeah,” he said. “Turn around.”

When Joanna turned around, Jim could tell that it took her a moment to realize that her idol was in her house. Then she clapped her hands over her mouth and squealed, bouncing up and down again.

“Oh my gosh! Daddy, oh my gosh!”

“Hi,” Nyota said, laughing. “I heard you’re my number one fan?”

“Oh my gosh!” Joanna cried. “Yes! Oh my goodness, I can’t believe it!”

Nyota stepped out a bit, closer to Joanna, and opened her arms. Joanna shrieked a little bit and then flew into Nyota’s arms. Jim winced just looking at the grip that Joanna had on Nyota, but Nyota didn’t seem to mind.

“Oh my gosh,” Joanna said when she stepped back. “I can’t even believe this! You’re Nyota Uhura! I have your whole biography, and I’m working and learning all the languages that you know so that I can go into Starfleet just like you and be super cool just like you and I’m gonna be you for Halloween but you probably know that already right? Oh my gosh, I’m just so excited!”

“You’ve got my biography?” Nyota asked, smiling wide.

“Uh huh! And I can speak Vulcan already, and I’m learning Andorian and Romulan now, and after I learn those I’m gonna learn Tellarite and Klingon! And I’ll probably learn Deltan and Orion after that.”

_“Du fai-tor Vuhlkansu?”_

_“Ha!”_

_“Du oren-tor Vuhlkansu k’fai ish’veh shi’oren?”_ Nyota asked.

Joanna nodded, smiling brightly, and said, _“Ha, hi ein fai-tukh vesh’ s’ si’ shi’oren.”_

_“Du nam-tor wuh maut klon nu’ri t’sai.”_

Whatever Nyota said, it had to have been a compliment, because Joanna lit up. Jim understood very minimal Vulcan, just endearments, mainly from Spock, but he was working on learning more.

“What the heck are the two of you saying to each other?” Bones asked.

“She said I’m smart,” Joanna said, sounding a little like she might pass out.

“Did she, now? Well then, it must be true.”

“Daddy, I can’t believe you did this!” Joanna exclaimed, rushing towards her father again and giving him a great hug.

“It was actually Jim’s idea,” Bones said, hugging her back.

“Was it?”

Joanna turned around and beamed at Jim, then wrapped him in a tight hug, saying, “Thank you, Jim!”

“Not a problem, JoJo,” Jim said, laughing. “As soon as you said that Nyota was your idol I knew I had a solemn duty to get her here.”

“You didn't have to try very hard,” Nyota said dryly. “Don't pretend you did.”

“I'm not saying I had to try,” Jim said, raising his hands defensively. “I'm just saying it was my duty to summon you.”

“Summon?” Bones scoffed. “What are you, a king?”

Jim sighed ruefully and said, “Only in my mind.”

“And on Tre’eCQart,” Nyota said, smirking.

“Tre-what?” Joanna asked, nose wrinkling.

“Tre’eCQart,” Nyota repeated. “It’s a very weird planet.”

“Their language is weird, if that's what they named their own planet,” Joanna said. “How’d you ever learn any of it?”

“Through a lot of effort.”

“Do you remember any?” Joanna asked, no longer interested in bashing the Tre’eCQa language.

“Some, yeah.”

Joanna lit up like a small Human beacon.

“Can you teach me some?”

“I can, if you want to learn it,” Nyota said. She was smiling more than Jim had seen her smile in the past week, and Iim had a feeling that the same was true for him. Joanna just brought smiles out in people.

“Oh, yes please!”

***

Hours later, Joanna knew some Tre’eCQa and was bouncing around the house in her Starfleet costume, which came with a little operations badge. Bones was sitting at the kitchen table, bracing himself for what was to come, and Jim sat with him. Both of them as well as Nyota had changed into uniforms they'd brought with them, prepared to go trick-or-treating with Joanna.

“Do you want me to help you finish getting ready?” Nyota asked, setting down her apple cider. “I'll do your hair just like I do mine.”

“Yes, please!”

Joanna rushed into the kitchen and sat down at the table, beaming at Nyota. She had been over the moon for hours, and showed no sign of calming down anytime soon.

Jim glanced at Bones as Nyota began to gather up Joanna’s hair to put it in a high ponytail. He looked completely besotted as he gazed at Joanna and Nyota interacting, and Jim had to resist the urge to laugh at him in a brotherly kind of way.

By the time Nyota had pulled Joanna’s hair up into a ponytail, it was just about time to leave. Joanna was more excited than Jim thought she could possibly be, and it was making home excited, too. He didn't think he'd ever been so happy to go trick-or-treating.

“You ready to go, pumpkin?” Bones asked.

Joanna nodded enthusiastically, and they began to move for the door. Joanna snagged her candy sack from where t had been placed beside the door, and Bones set out the candy bowl on the porch steps.

“Okay,” Jim said, a hand on Joanna’s shoulder to prevent her from taking off. The sun was going down, and soon it would become hard to identify her if she wandered off. “Let's stick together, yeah?”

“Alright,” Joanna said. “But you gotta keep up!”

  
“We’ll do our very best,” Nyota said, smiling.

Joanna marched forward, leading the three Starfleet officers around the neighborhood. There were plenty of other kids and parents in the streets, and the group found themselves quickly accosted by overly enthusiastic citizens of all ages.

Some of Joanna’s schoolmates could do no more than stare in silent awe. Teenagers- some of the ones out earlier than others- sometimes had the courage to talk to them, with an outlier of one teenaged girl who had swooned and actually fainted. Jim hadn't thought that people actually did that, but apparently some did. The adults who approached them oftentimes thanked them for their service, but only after explaining, quite unnecessarily, that their children just _adored_ Captain Kirk, or Doctor McCoy, or Lieutenant Uhura. One older woman had even pinched Jim’s cheek and called him a ‘sweet child.’

They did, however, make it around the neighborhood eventually. It was much to Joanna’s annoyance that they took so long, what with people of all ages holding them up. Jim had done his best to slip out of the encounters quickly, though, not wanting to make the evening all about him, even accidentally.

“Come on,” Joanna said once they had completed a rather large and convoluted loop. Her sack was bulging with candy, Bones having to take it so that poor Joanna wouldn't tip right over trying to carry it. “Now we go to Ellen’s!”

“Ellen’s?” Bones asked.

“Uh huh. She's one of my best friends, and every year me and her and her siblings all do a giant candy trade!”

“It sounds interesting,” Jim said.

“It's so much fun!” Joanna said, grinning. “It's my favorite part.”

“Well then, lead the way,” Nyota said, laughing.

When they arrived at Ellen’s house, which was similar to Joanna’s in very many respects, Joanna rushed right to the door and knocked on it quite firmly. Within moments, the door swung open to reveal a girl who looked to be Joanna’s age, her hair pulled up into two little bushy buns. She was clearly dressed as Polly the Protector from a popular kids television show, with a white dress and bright blue cape.

“Hi!” Ellen shrieked, tugging Joanna into the house. Jim, Bones, and Nyota followed Ellen into the house, who either hadn't noticed or hadn't cared who accompanied Joanna.

Bones followed Joanna, if only to give her her candy bag so she could trade. Nyota hung back with Jim near the door, and the two of them exchanged a rather tired and amused look.

“Well,” Nyota said, and began to laugh. “That was fun.”

“More like exhausting,” Jim replied, smiling back at her.

“Hi,” a woman who Jim assumed was Ellen’s mother approaching the two of them. “It's very nice to meet you. My name is Lauren. Why don't the two of you head into the living room to watch the trade? It's quite the sight.”

She gestured, and Jim and Nyota followed her into the living room, a large window behind the couch allowing them to see out onto the street, still bustling.

“I'll trade a PeaNutty bar for a pack of Fruit Drops,” Joanna said, waving a candy bar in the air.

“Done!” Ellen nearly shouted, tossing a pack of candy at Joanna and snatching the bar from her. “How about a chocolate bar for a PeaNutty?”

“Here!” Ellen’s brother said, thrusting a PeaNutty forward.

“No, wait!” Joanna cried, grabbing another PeaNutty and a snack-sized Sweet and Chewy. “How about a PeaNutty and a Sweet and Chewy?”

Ellen tossed the bar and Joanna and Ellen’s brother groaned loudly in disappointment.

“This is amazing,” Bones said, coming over to stand with Jim and Nyota.

“I never did this as a kid,” Nyota said, sounding a little sad. “I should have. I just gave the candy I hates to adults who would eat it.”

“I never really trick-or-treated,” Jim said, “but damn, I never did this when I did go.”

The three of them joined Ellen’s mother on the couch, looking at the kids as they excitedly bartered with their candy.

“So are you glad that I messaged you?” Jim asked Nyota, grinning.

“Absolutely,” Nyota said, smiling at Joanna.

She then glanced over at Bones, on her other side, and Jim realized with a growing sense of glee that Nyota liked Bones, too. Now, all he had to do was figure out how to get the two of them together.

“I'll trade a Choco-bun,” Joanna said.

“I’ll give you a king-sized Rutherford,” Ellen’s brother offered.

“Ooh, done.”

“You are both very welcome,” Jim declared, sitting back.

“Yeah, yeah,” Bones said, “We get it. But your ego doesn't need to get any bigger.”

“No it does not,” Nyota agreed, then looked at Jim and said, “but thank you.”

Bones heaved a sigh. “Yeah. Thanks.”

He sounded begrudging, but Jim could tell that he meant it, and smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I had a blast writing this, and I hope you all enjoy it! Happy Halloween!


End file.
